Branson, Missouri

 250 or so miles east of Tulsa is the entertainment center of Missouri…..

Branson, MO

We left Tulsa somewhat tired of paying a toll to use the road that went to the grocery store, so we chose to head east out of town on US Highway 412. Guess what….it’s a toll road all the way to the Arkansas state line! Since we don’t have a toll road transponder, the toll stations snapped a pic of our license plate every so often and will bill us later. I expect to receipt a hefty bill! The roads are in excellent condition, so that takes some of the sting out of the situation.

Highway 412 intersects US 65 just east of Alpena, Arkansas, and we turned north on 65 to roll into Branson. 

Branson is located in an extraordinarily beautiful area of the Ozark Mountains and just a few miles from Table Rock Lake. TRL is one of the largest bodies of water in the country, with over 800 miles of shoreline and over 43,000 acres of surface area, and is one of the areas premier attractions.

Our friends Dave and Toni are part owners of a private RV park on one arm of the lake and invited us to be their guest for a week. Much appreciated as we have wanted to visit Branson and see what the fuss was all about, and it’s so cool to have dedicated tour guides!

Our first stop in town was at the Mels Hardluck Diner for a burger and a shake! Karen Richardson and Chism Ruden kept us entertained with their singing talents while serving dinner!

After settling in to our campsite, we decided what to do in Branson!

The Genesis tucked nicely into site 29, and we were off and running!

A couple of jumps south of Branson, in Hollister, MO, the College of the Ozarks aims to develop citizens who are well educated, hardworking and patriotic. Known as “Hardwork U”, most of the buildings on campus have been built by students, who also oversee agricultural and animal husbandry projects. Near the college entrance, students have designed and built a memorial to members of the US Armed Forces.

There are dozens of singing, dancing, and magic shows in Branson, with entertainers so good at their craft that you wonder why they’re not in Las Vegas! We had no chance of seeing most of them, but we selected a handfull and went to work.

The group billed as an Orchestra of Human Voices, SIX, was playing at the American Bandstand Theater. With high reviews, we had to check it out. A bit of downtime waiting for the show to start got us into trouble in the lobby.

Six of ten brothers sing a wide variety of songs, from the 40’s all the way to the late 90’s, all the while providing the musical accompaniment….with their mouths! Drums, trumpets, guitars and cymbals…they can do it all! It’s truly an amazing performance!

The Showboat Branson Belle sails out of Silver Dollar City, which is a huge amusement park southwest of downtown. After a dinner of chicken and beef, we were treated to a variety show that was a bit traditional but still very entertaining.

Guess Donna should have moved a few inches over so the flag could have a better place to grow….

Our next show was one that had mixed reviews but turned out to be a huge hit: Clay Cooper’s Country Express. Clay Cooper has been performing in Branson for over 30 years, and he, his wife, their three sons, and an accomplished staff served up nonstop laughter and perfect music and dancing.

Clay is a master at including audience participation in his performance. Several couples were willing and entertaining, and were included at various times during the 2+ hour show. The cast performed songs from country artists, Pat Benatar, The Righteous Brothers, and a variety of gospel singers. In fact, every show we watched in Branson recognized and honored armed service veterans, wove in patriotic songs, and emphasized God’s Goodness in our lives. Very refreshing G rated entertainment!

The Irish Tenors and Celtic Ladies put on a great show as well, with traditional Irish tunes and fantastic dance routines.

The show was over two hours of nonstop action. However, some audience members were not as enthusiastic as they could have been….

A show that came recommended was the Hughes Brothers Music Review. Again, a variety of song and dance was enjoyable, but the difference here was that four families make up over 50 members of the cast! Four brothers have from four to fifteen kids and they all play a role in the performances, even the babies who are carried through dance routines. Amazing!

Although Mom and Dad are no longer with us, this photo provides a hint of the size of the show cast,

On our last day in Branson, we drove an hour or so north to Springfield and the Grandaddy of all Bass Pro Shops. This store is likely the original store and includes corporate headquarters as well as museums of fly fishing, firearms, motorsport sponsorship and a huge aquarium. Time prevented us from visiting the aquarium, but we got our steps in walking the rest of the store,

Alligators in the pond, 

Catfish in the swamp,

Vintage campers in the lobby,

And $100,000 fishing boats in the fishing section!

If it’s something for the outdoors, this store has it all.

A 65 times lifesize elk dominates the second floor lobby.

As we left The Largest Bass Pro Shop in the World, we stopped to admire a diorama of a deer family. Unfortunately, Bambi was missing a very important item….

After a week in Branson, we were exhausted. The assault on a visitors senses is constant. From upside-down buildings and giant apes to oversized octopuses, we simply needed a break!

So, on a Thursday, we rolled out in a driving rainstorm, heading south on US 65. I’ll let you know where we ended up after four hours and eight and a half inches of midwest rain!